GTA V: Middle class pursuits to take your mind off the killing

It might have come out on a Tuesday, with incredible amounts of copies sold on day one, but many have waited until the weekend to either buy or play their shiny new copy of Grand Theft Auto V. And boy are they in for a treat.

Not only do you get to steal, murder, drive fast cars, do drug deals and generally make an awful nuisance of yourself, you can even join the ranks of the middle classes with more sober pursuits.

So here's some things to do in GTA V that won't make the headlines in the tabloids.

Go to the cinema to see an art house movie

As soon as the main game world unlocks and you get to drive around looking for stuff to do between missions you should check out the cinema, one of which is The Doppler in Vinewood.

At the beginning of the game the movie on offer is Capolavoro, a subtitled foreign language movie that, although a spoof, accurately apes the randomness and strangeness of the real European films of the 1950s and Sixties. It's also quite a long piece, so we dare you to sit all the way through it.

Play golf

Rockstar really listened to fans when it came to planning the extra-curricular pursuits in GTA V. Criticism of former games in the franchise was partly levelled at the lack of things to do once the storyline had ended. Yes, other games had pool, darts and a few other interactive elements, but they were very much tiny sideshows. GTA V has gone almost the other way.

One of the sports on offer is golf, with a fully functioning mini-game that you can play almost as well as a Tiger Woods standalone title. You even get the benefit of Mike - the character who belongs to the golf club - swearing when you muck up shots. And you get to drive a golf buggy between holes. Superb.

Play tennis

As with the golf, there's a good representation of a full tennis game engine in GTA V too.

Whether it's on Mike's own personal court or at any of the clubs around Los Santos, you can essentially play a game that reminds us of Virtua Tennis or Top Spin. Again, as he's an ex-bank robber, Mike exhibits flowery language and mannerisms when he's either winning or losing.

Play the stock market

After a certain level in the game that features the spoof Facebook company Life Invader - no spoilers here though, promise - you get to dabble on the stock market.

Everything is done through the browser of your phone and shares in all of the in-game companies that you know and love are available to buy and sell. Even Fruit (Apple) - the maker of the iFruit phone - and our old faves Ammu Nation and Burger Shot.

Enter a triathlon

If you fancy more variety in your sport, triathlon races appear around town where you will be required to swim, ride a bike and then run to the finish line. This is best tackled once you've levelled up Mike's stamina a tad as button mashing all the way will only tire him out completely, ensuring you'll lose.

Particularly amusing in this is the fact that the character is squeezed into a full-length lycra body suit for the event. It's like a carrier bag full of spanners.

Take the kids to the beach

With Mike's kids being fairly grown up, this isn't actually something you can up and do at any time. In fact, Mike's children aren't particularly fond of their old pop, so the beach excursion is merely offered as part of one of the missions.

However, you do get to ride a bike with your son and then save your daughter from a life of pornography, so there's something to be said for the occasional family outing.

Our senior ed of news and features has been a tech and games journalist for more than 27 years, and has been with Pocket-lint for over five. Rik has edited a number of videogame magazines in the past, was deputy editor of Home Cinema Choice, and his TV career included stints as co-presenter of Channel 4's Gamesmaster and Sky One’s Games World.